Thin client configuration problems

[Gavin McCullagh]

On Thu, 27 Dec 2007, DB Clinton wrote:

> > Sounds like your DHCP isn't working.  If you run the command:
> >         ps aux |grep dhcp
> 
> I just ran it and it looks like dhcp is working fine.

Well, it's running but perhaps not fine.  Make sure there's a line with
dhcpd in it.  I get three lines, one for "dhclient" one for "grep dhcp" and
one for "dhcpd3".  The last is my dhcp server.

dhcp      3073  0.0  0.1   2456   576 ?        S    Nov08   0:00 /sbin/dhclient -1 -lf /var/lib/dhcp3/dhclient.eth1.leases -pf /var/run/dhclient.eth1.pid -q -e dhc_dbus=31 -d eth1
gavin    10300  0.0  0.1   2884   764 pts/1    R+   13:51   0:00 grep dhcp
dhcpd    26556  0.0  0.0   2920   280 ?        Ss   Dec03   0:00 /usr/sbin/dhcpd3 -q eth0 -pf /var/run/dhcp3-server/dhcpd.pid -cf /etc/ltsp/dhcpd.conf

> > eth1 needs to run a DHCP server, so it shouldn't use DHCP, it needs to
> > have a static ip address.  Also, the fact that there is another DHCP
> > server on that eth1's network is a cause for concern -- you shouldn't
> > usually have two dhcp servers on one network.
> 
> I changed eth1 to a static address (192.168.0.254).

Okay but is there another dhcp server on that network?  That will
definitely cause problems.

> Apparently it wasn't that alone. I'm still getting no ip assignments for
> my client (that still returned the message "RPL-ROM-FFC" and then "no ip
> address" a number of times) 

That suggests to me that either your dhcp server is not running on the
interface facing the clients or there's something wrong with the network
(ie a bad cable, etc.).  On the server run:

sudo tcpdump -i eth1 udp port 68 or port 67

and then try rebooting a client.  If the above command reports no packets,
you need to look at your network cards, etc. and see is there really a link
between the server and clients.

> "eth1: no IPv6 routers present...can't find host npv.ubuntu.com...no
> servers can be used, exiting"

I guess that's ntp not npv.  It shouldn't be relevant to this discussion.
Your ppp link isn't working so you can't set the time off the online
server.

> > Can you ping them by ip address?  Samba is a rather complex thing which
> > can fail for a multitude of reasons.
> 
> I have managed in the past (at least one way, oddly enough) but right
> now they're not talking at all.

Okay, you need to look at the network I think.  Once you can set compatible
ip addresses and ping across the wires, then dhcp and booting have some
chance.

> There are two entries for ppp0 (216.254.132.30 / 255.255.255.255 / UH and
> 0.0.0.0 / 0.0.0.0 / U)
> and one for eth1 (192.168.0.0 / 255.255.255.0 / U)

It would be preferable if you copy and paste the output, though I guess
maybe you have no net access on that machine.  Paraphrased descriptions
like this can be misleading.  That said, the above sounds okay.  Can you
ping your DNS server (which you should see listed in /etc/resolv.conf)?

Gavin